The Frame

At the age of 23, Saoirse Ronan already has two Academy Award nominations as a lead actress, including for "Lady Bird"; Barack and Michelle Obama's official portraits have people talking; inside an audition for "America's Got Talent."

Actress Allison Janney has an Oscar nomination for playing Tonya Harding's mother in "I, Tonya"; several Olympic ice skaters are using songs from Baz Luhrmann's "Moulin Rouge"; the N.Y. attorney general filed a civil rights lawsuit that could halt sale of The Weinstein Co.

Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, the Oscar-nominated co-writers of "The Big Sick," talk about the eventful year since their semi-autobiographical film debuted; Oscar-nominated actor Willem Dafoe explains why the first-time actors in "The Florida Project" had a leg up on him.

How much does The Peacock Network have riding on the Winter Games? A lot.; "The Trade" is Showtime's bracing documentary series about the opiod epidemic; James Ivory's screenplay for "Call Me By Your Name" could finally give him his first Oscar.

Dee Rees on her film "Mudbound," about the harsh reality of life in the Jim Crow South, and its new resonance today; morality clauses meant to curb workplace harassment enter Hollywood contracts; after years of estrangement, photographers (and brothers) Andrew and Stuart Douglas reunite with an LA photo exhibition.

The rapper and veteran songwriter collaborated on the Oscar-nominated "Stand Up for Something"; playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes trilogy of plays get a concurrent staging in L.A.; this year's Havana Jazz Fest featured first-time performances by a few expats.

Salim Akil, creator of the CW series, "Black Lightning," says black superheroes are needed more than ever; after Uma Thurman accused Tarantino of abusing her and putting her at risk on a movie set, will his next film proceed as planned?; hardcore movie fans now have a fantasy league of their own.

Justin Timberlake is back at the Super Bowl, but why isn't Janet Jackson?; Jennifer Fox's "The Tale" is the true story of the sexual abuse inflicted by her riding coach when she was a teen; women in the music industry are calling for Grammy president Neil Portnow to resign.

2017 was a breakout year for writer/actress Lena Waithe and she's already off to bigger things in the new year; the Producers Guild of America has developed a code of conduct for its members, who wield a lot of power in the industry.

The latest show from Cirque looks to Mexican history and culture for inspiration; the L.A. Phil marks Leonard Bernstein's centennial with his sprawling 'Mass'; the National Gallery of Art indefinitely postponed a show by Chuck Close because of allegations of inappropriate behavior against the artist.

Bill Maher’s use of a racial epithet on his HBO show has led to calls for Maher's firing and ignited debate over who can say the N-word. We get reaction from NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates and "Dear White People" filmmaker Justin Simien; Brett Haley's new movie, “The Hero," looks at our admiration of cinematic heroes through the life of an aging actor whose public persona is defined by a role he played on screen.

Artist Jeff Koons has his detractors, but he is an undeniable force in contemporary art; blues veterans Taj Mahal and Keb' Mo' have finally made an album together; George Pérez is the DC Comics writer and artist who revived "Wonder Woman" in the 1980s.

Between the White House Correspondents Dinner, his "Daily Show" gig and Netflix special, comedian Hasan Minjaj is having a good year; a playwriting workshop tries to help veterans re-connect with civilian life; Spotify settles a class action lawsuit that was filed by songwriters claiming they weren’t being properly compensated.

Sheila Nevins talks about how she navigated the workforce early in her career as assumptions about women were changing in America; Now that the DGA and WGA contracts are signed, it’s time for SAG-AFTRA to step to the negotiating table; Mexican-American singer Lila Downs has a new album that takes the romantic ballad genre known as bolero and pairs it with topical lyrics.

After a performance in blackface at an inaugural gala for President Ronald Reagan in 1981, Ben Vereen's career suffered. Artist Edgar Arceneaux has written an experimental play that explores the Broadway legend's intent; Vulture.com's Kyle Buchanan gives a recap on the most striking moments of this year's Cannes Film Festival.

Reed Morano talks about being executive producer and director for the first three episodes of "The Handmaid's Tale"; Zoe Lister-Jones' directed "Band Aid" with marriage and music in mind.

Yuja Wang is an internationally recognized piano genius who is in L.A. for the next two weeks to perform Bartók's piano concertos with the L.A. Phil; David Michod talks about how he’d been looking to make a film about America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for about a decade before he came across Michael Hastings’ book.

Luhrmann's love of hip-hop history brought him on to the series 'The Get Down' which Netflix has just decided not to renew for a second season. He discusses his first foray into television– an ambitious project that Luhrmann says was like producing a Broadway show in every episode. And The Frame visits writer-director Robin Swicord on the set of her Bryan Cranston-Jennifer Garner movie 'Wakefield.'

"Long Strange Trip" documents how The Grateful Dead found its sound and made Jerry Garcia a reluctant leader. "Wait Wait Don't Kill Me" is a podcast musical that satirizes the podcast "Serial," but it's also about our fascination with true crime and murder. Can Snapchat build an audience for short form shows by well-known TV celebs like Conan O'Brien?

Documentary filmmaker Ryan White's investigation of a nun's murder led to uncovering a sex abuse scandal in Baltimore; music critic Ann Powers on the connection between young girls and live music.

"Black Mirror" creator Charlie Brooker and co-executive producer Annabel Jones on their sci-fi show that has become a touchstone for certain moments in real life; promoters of the ill-fated Fyre Festival are reportedly facing a federal fraud investigation.

'Guardians of the Galaxy' director James Gunn opens up about how Marvel Comics and Alice Cooper made him realize he wasn't alone in the world. He explains the importance of score and music to the success of the 'Guardians' franchise; Daniel Fienberg, TV critic for The Hollywood Reporter, and Jeanine Poggi, media reporter at AdAge, recap Upfronts 2017.